Judge Ana Reyes asked U.S. government lawyers to explain contradictory statements about East Potomac Golf Links.
Published October 30, 2026
A U.S. federal judge has launched a “formal investigation” into whether U.S. government lawyers misled the court over plans to renovate a historic public golf course in Washington, D.C.
Friday’s maneuver intensifies an ongoing legal battle over President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the nation’s capital.
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Judge Ana Reyes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia announced the appointment of a special director to investigate whether government officials are concealing information or making misleading claims about East Potomac Golf Links.
The investigation will not reveal whether government lawyers committed any illegal acts. Instead, it will be determined whether their actions violated a professional or ethical obligation.
The investigation followed a series of contradictory statements from administration officials about the course renovation plan, particularly after President Trump announced on social media that he would move forward with the project.
Reyes questioned Deputy Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. for more than two hours during Friday’s hearing, repeatedly comparing his testimony to the president’s online announcements.
She also asked whether National Park Service officials were instructed to omit details from court statements.
Posts starting earlier this month on Trump’s Truth social account suggested the course would be closed for 15 months starting Nov. 15 to accommodate major redevelopment.
But officials from various government agencies, including the Interior Department, the Justice Department, and the National Park Service, have so far been unable to confirm the existence or scope of the plan when questioned by a judge.
Earlier this year, Reyes ordered the government to give advance notice of any substantial construction work on site.
But despite her orders, the conflict escalated after more than 400 trees were removed from the golf course earlier this month. Reyes later extended an injunction against the government making any further “irreversible” changes to the site.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department notified the court that the National Park Service will submit golf course architect Tom Fazio’s blueprints to the National Capital Planning Commission on Friday.
But Justice Department lawyers had previously refused to approve any plans for the golf course.
Even before Wednesday’s court filing, President Trump had posted about asking Fazio to “build a world class championship golf course” on the park grounds, which currently includes bike and walking trails.
The D.C. Preservation Alliance, which filed the lawsuit in February, argued that the redevelopment violates environmental protections and could harm historically significant public spaces.
The lawsuit marks one of two legal battles unfolding Friday over President Trump’s Washington, D.C. plans.
Another US judge is scheduled to hear a separate challenge to the White House’s proposal to build a 75-meter (250-foot) memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
The case raises broader questions about the limits of presidential power over federal lands and public monuments.
David Super, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, told The Associated Press that the case reflects a shift in the administration’s approach to legal constraints on executive power.
“There was always this assumption that we were going to do something legal,” Super said. “What we’re seeing here now is that if the federal courts think they can’t stop it, they can break the law.
